AMÉLIE Previews

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 9:31am

Previews for the Broadway premiere of Daniel Messé, Nathan Tysen, and Craig Lucas' Amélie begin in just a few days (Thursday, March 9, 2017) at the Walter Kerr Theatre with Pam MacKinnon at the helm! Based on the 2001 Academy Award-nominated film and starring Tony nominee Phillipa Soo, opening is set for April 3 for an open run.

Who's going?!

Updated On: 3/7/17 at 09:31 AM

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 9:51am

BroadwayConcierge said: "Previews for the Broadway premiere of Daniel Messé, Nathan Tysen, and Craig Lucas' Amélie begin in just a few days (Thursday, March 9, 2017) at the Walter Kerr Theatre with Tony nominee Phillipa Soo at the helm! Based on the 2001 Academy Award-nominated film, opening is set for April 3 for an open run.

Who's going?!

Not being snarky at all, but "at the helm" usually refers to the director, not the star. I have tickets to go shortly after it opens. I'm looking forward to it. I've liked some of the music I've heard.

 

"

 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 9:52am

Indeed, Pam MacKinnon is at the helm.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 9:57am

Totally understood, RaisedOnMusicals! I meant it there in the "leading lady" sense, as it seems like much of the show rests on Soo's shoulders, being in the title role and all. I'll edit accordingly

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 10:12am

I'm not going to previews, but I do have tickets for April 13th. I am ridiculously excited...and it will also be my third trip to the Walter Kerr. I think I've seen more shows in that house than any other.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 11:25am

I wish it all the luck in the world, but if they haven't fixed from what was seen in LA, well um good luck 

[orlikethecolorpurple]

Posted: 3/7/17 at 4:48pm

I have heard some middling things about the score, but I really enjoy the song clips that have been released thus far. I'm optimistic! 

[wendy72]

Posted: 3/8/17 at 8:49am

I heard mixed things about LA but I've loved the clips I've seen. Seeing this in early previews. I hope it has improved from the LA reports on this board. Wondering what the running time is?

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 3/8/17 at 10:33am

I think the running time is about 1:40. There is no intermission. 

[djoko84]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 6:56am

I have to say the online lottery for the show is probably the best there is. I didn't win, but the fact that you find out the day before if you won and you can enter for up to a week in performances is awesome. I hope all of the other shows adopt the same digital lottery.

[froote]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 7:10am

Lovely piece on Phillipa from the NYT.

https://nytimes.com/2017/03/08/theater/what-do-hamilton-amelie-and-great-comet-have-in-common-phillipa-soo.html?referer=

Natasha. Eliza. Amélie.

Three Broadway heroines, one drawn from a novel, one from a biography, and one from a film, have very different back stories. But they share a common catalyst: Phillipa Soo.

The actress this spring will accomplish an unusual trifecta: Three roles she helped originate will be on Broadway at the same time.

Oh, and she is just 26 years old.

How did that happen?

[froote]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 8:06am

Cast recording coming in May.

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/187834/broadways-amelie-musical-will-record-a-cast-album/

[little_sally]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 8:46am

djoko84 said: "I have to say the online lottery for the show is probably the best there is. I didn't win, but the fact that you find out the day before if you won and you can enter for up to a week in performances is awesome. I hope all of the other shows adopt the same digital lottery.

Kinky Boots and I think Book of Mormon already use the same format.

 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 8:58am

You can hear 'Times Are Hard for Dreamers' right here...
http://ew.com/theater/2017/03/09/phillipa-soo-amelie-musical-bonus-track/

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 9:02am

little_sally said: "djoko84 said: "I have to say the online lottery for the show is probably the best there is. I didn't win, but the fact that you find out the day before if you won and you can enter for up to a week in performances is awesome. I hope all of the other shows adopt the same digital lottery.

Kinky Boots and I think Book of Mormon already use the same format."

 

Yes, it's for Jujamcyn theaters.

 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 9:04am

God I love it! That song may be my personal theme song for the month.

I assume they've already recorded the album...too bad we didn't get any in-the-studio pics.

[little_sally]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 9:12am

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "You can hear 'Times Are Hard for Dreamers' right here...
http://ew.com/theater/2017/03/09/phillipa-soo-amelie-musical-bonus-track/

There's nothing very French about this at all.

 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 9:34am

It does say that's a "Bonus Track" of the song, so perhaps the stage version will sound more authentic.

What precisely constitutes a "French sound," anyway? Accordions?

[wish i were here2]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 10:13am

This is very close to how it sounds in the show, the only difference is the show version (at least in LA version) is a little faster and it sounds a little more "Broadway," not sure how else to describe it. 

Updated On: 3/9/17 at 10:13 AM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 10:17am

I hope they extend the Amelie lottery past previews. That is a better system and it doesn't require downloading the irritating TodayTix app.

I guess a French sound would be the same as an American sound or a British sound. It would be a genre/period more that was recognizable more than a comprehensive instantly identifiable aesthetic. So like... American jazz or American country or British punk or British New Wave. They could have had the Musette accordion stuff or some other genre. 

[gallerygirl]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 10:22am

The composer has said that he deliberately avoided the cliche of "French sounding" music.

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 11:03am

gallerygirl said: "The composer has said that he deliberately avoided the cliche of "French sounding" music.

 

"

That's a terrible idea. Has he even seen the film? It's like a French acid trip and the music (which wasn't written for the film) is a. Amazing and b. So French

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 12:05pm

froote said: "Lovely piece on Phillipa from the NYT. https://nytimes.com/2017/03/08/theater/what-do-hamilton-amelie-and-great-comet-have-in-common-phillipa-soo.html?referer="

This article is lovely! Thanks for sharing!

[Willie4316]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 1:06pm

BakerWilliams said: "gallerygirl said: "The composer has said that he deliberately avoided the cliche of "French sounding" music." 


That's a terrible idea. Has he even seen the film? It's like a French acid trip and the music (which wasn't written for the film) is a. Amazing and b. So French"

I think it's a 2 way situation. Without the French sound it could be a criticism saying it diverts from the film too much, but it could also be argued that it's an element that maybe wouldn't have translated well when making the stage adaptation. We'll have to wait and see as previews roll along whether it's changed since the run in LA and whether they've decided to incorporate the French sounds in the music. I personally hope this show finds great success and has a well-deserved run.

Updated On: 3/9/17 at 01:06 PM

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/9/17 at 1:09pm

I was hoping the NYT article about Phillipa would reveal more about her personality and her process. It's not really a profile, more like a summary of the jobs she's had, with a casual mention of her fiancé. Really strange.